Album Review

Although they never lacked for acclaim or prestigious dates, Zimbo Trio always came second, in the hearts of Brazilian fans, to Luíz Eça and Tamba Trio, who not only had plenty of musical chops but also a breakout hit, "Mais Que Nada," that brought their name to listeners around the world. From the evidence of Zimbo Trio's debut album, however, they were quite unconcerned about the competition. Beginning with the group original "Zimbo Samba," a challenging, modernist take on the native samba form, they chart a slightly different course here than Tamba Trio, displaying equal measures of jazz and classical and Brazilian music (where Tamba often stayed closer to the shores of Brazilian music). While stretching out on a set composed of new Brazilian standards of the mid-'60s, both pianist Hamilton Teixeira de Godoy (aka Amilton Godoy) and drummer Rubinho Barsotti attack their instruments, while bassist/arranger Luis Chaves structures his charts to maximize the energy of the group interplay. If Tamba Trio's initial recordings often seemed to be the most vibrant and forceful in Brazilian music, a listen to Zimbo Trio's debut displays what a subtle use of power is all about.